The Job Boycott
by apriiil
Summary: Because the entire guild is set on Lucy not taking any jobs for the remainder of her pregnancy, and that's something she definitely doesn't like. Not one bit. Well, for the most part. One-shot. [HWHL]


**Ah, yes. So, another addition to the Happy Wife, Happy Life (HWHL) universe. The genres are going to change every now and then.**  
 **Anyway, just another something that came to exist because I can't be bothered with uni.**

* * *

Lucy groaned as her head hit the table, her arms stretched out before her. "Guys, come on! This isn't fair!"

"Lucy, this is entirely fair," The Requip mage insisted as she folded her arms across her armour-clad chest. "No more jobs until you've given birth. It's too dangerous."

"That's ridiculous! I've been going on jobs for the last three months! What's the difference now?" Lucy said, only sitting up slightly to rest her head in her palm, that, and to glare at her 'friends.' Pfft, who were they to say she couldn't go on jobs?

"Come on, Luce. It's only for another six weeks! It's not that bad." Natsu said with his usual grin and his hands folded behind his head.

With a groan, Gray's hand connected with his own forehead. "It's six _months_ , ash-for-brains."

"Seriously guys, you can't stop me from going on jobs." Lucy said.

"You're not coming with us." Her entire team chorused as Lucy's head went back to the table.

It was ridiculous. Completely and entirely ridiculous. She'd been going on jobs for the last three months! Sure, it was only because she didn't have a valid reason to get out of them because her team didn't know, but still, Lucy didn't think being knocked up was a valid reason not to go on jobs. Ridiculous.

Besides, how was she supposed to pay her rent if she couldn't go on jobs with her team?

Ah, exactly! She'd just have to do jobs on her own! They only said she couldn't go _with_ them! She'll use their own words against them.

 _Yes, excellent plan if I do say so myself._

With a smug smirk she sat up again, and then, eyeing her team who were all sitting on the opposite side of the table to her (really, the whole 3-against-1 thing was a bit too much in her opinion), she said, "Well, if I can't go with you, I'll just-"

"Not a fucking chance, Cosplayer." Bickslow scoffed as he walked by their table, plates and tankards balancing on his babies as he made his way over to his own table.

Now, Bickslow knew his wife – well, duh – and so he knew that she wasn't too fond of not being allowed to go on jobs anymore since her team had found out she was pregnant, and hell, that had only been the day before, but she'd been arguing with them over it the entire day. He'd literally sat a few tables away the entire day and listened to them argue about it, so he knew just how much she hated it.

For the most part, Bickslow had decided to stay out of it just because he knew the entire guild had already made plans to boycott any jobs she decided to take on. It was really a unanimous decision – one Bickslow had been a part of. Lucy, however… well, she only thought her team were the ones not letting her out on jobs.

But when he'd been walking past and he'd seen that smirk, he couldn't let her get away with it. Nope, not a chance. No jobs. Just from a smirk alone, he knew exactly what she was planning. He'd seen it all too many times before she used his own words against him.

"Bicks? You too?!" Lucy said, aghast. _That traitor!_ He was her husband. The guy was supposed to be on her side, not her goddamn team's!

As Bickslow chuckled, walking further and further away, Lucy groaned, her head once again returning to the table. There was no way her team was every going to let her go out on another job while she was still pregnant, and Bickslow wasn't going to let her go on any either.

There were just some arguments she couldn't win, and that was one of them.

That wasn't to say she would give up. Oh no, she just had to come up with a better plan to be able to go on a job.

* * *

Lucy was sitting up in bed – well, it was Bickslow's bed because she had no reason not to be in his apartment now – sulking. Well, sort of. Her team had left that afternoon and Bickslow had been keeping a watchful eye on her to make sure she didn't make any trips to the request board.

It was all just ridiculous. Her team had no right to keep her from going on jobs, nor did Bickslow.

Well, sort of. If anyone could actually keep her from doing jobs, it would be Bickslow.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that she really wanted to keep doing jobs and she needed to. She had rent to pay and she couldn't do that if she wasn't working. What didn't her team – and husband – understand about it?

 _They're all idiots._

When Bickslow's babies came zooming in through the door to the bedroom, Lucy instantly opened her arms to the little guys, letting them nestle in against Plue and herself. She loved the souls as much as her spirits, and she really loved their cuddle time. Hell, even Bickslow would join in occasionally. You know, if Lucy was in the mood to put up with him.

"Still mad?" Bickslow asked, throwing his cloak on to the corner of the bed as he strolled into the room, already working on removing the rest of his heavy clothing as he headed towards the bathroom off to the side of his bedroom.

"Of course I'm still mad!" She said, her arms wrapping around the babies and Plue even tighter.

"Alright then." _Gonna take that as a 'no' to shower sex. Damn._

She turned to glare at the now closed bathroom door. _Alright then? Alright then?!_ _That's all he had to say?_ _What the hell!_ Then, turning down to the souls and spirits who were purring in delight, "Tell me again why I married him?" She muttered.

"Puu-puuun!"

"Married! Bickslow! Lucy! Married!"

And Lucy honestly couldn't help but giggle at that. Just a little. Her little friends, although they mostly had an inability to actually provide useful answers, were good at cheering her up. Or at least making her smile. A bit like Bickslow, to be honest. Stupid answers but he always made her smile.

So when Bickslow finally emerged from the bathroom a little while later, he was a little glad to see Lucy lying back on the bed and without her spirit – that to that day, he was convinced was not a dog – had left, so automatically he assumed it was _his_ turn to cuddle with his wife. 'Cause, you know, she never really liked having them all hugging her at once, and Bickslow was mostly fine with that. Mostly.

But that wasn't the case. Oh no. Pushing the blanket back, he found the babies nestled on her stomach as she lay on her back, a wide grin on her face when she saw Bickslow's own face drop in disappointment and honestly, a little bit of frustration. "Babies, come on," He complained, "Why do you guys always do that? Get your own wife. This one's mine." Because almost every time she'd stayed over in the last year and a half, they'd been the ones getting the love, and not him.

Eh, it's not like it mattered all that much anyway. The decision they'd come to was once the guild knew about them, they'd be able to move in together anyway, so technically, if he missed one night here and there because of his babies, then it wasn't a big deal.

Well, it wasn't the best, but he'd live with it.

"Lucy ours!" The dolls chanted, jumping up and down gently on their bed, otherwise known as Lucy's belly.

"Don't make me cut your magic off, babies." Bickslow warned.

"Hey, no one said it was your turn!" Lucy said, giggling when the five dolls finally made room for Bickslow's arm to drape across her stomach.

"But baby, I won't get my turn for another week," He murmured before pressing a kiss to her cheek and resting his face just next to her. "And besides, pretty sure the last time you said it wasn't my turn, I ended up getting you knocked up, so we both know you're gonna cave and give in to your incredible husband's warm embrace, like you already have, might I add."

"God, you're an idiot." And sure, she pretty much had caved and to be honest, he did give the best hugs and he was a great cuddle buddy. But still, despite being right about the fact she'd caved the last time and well… yeah… stuff happened, she was still mad, and she'd temporarily forgotten about it.

Temporarily.

"Wait… hang on…"

"What now?" He mumbled, moving to bury his face in the crook of her neck as she turned slightly.

"You said a week. You're going on a job?"

"Yeah. Leaving in the morning."

"Wow, Bicks. Way to rub it in." Lucy muttered, rolling onto her side and shoving his arm off of her. _Stupid Bickslow._ How come he could go on a job but she couldn't? Huh?

It just wasn't fair, damn it.

Bickslow rolled his eyes as he rolled onto his back, reaching out to switch on the lamp on the nightstand. "You're still mad about that? Really?"

"Of course I am! You don't get it! You're not the one who's being told what they can and can't do!" She shot back, moving to sit up in the bed and grabbing the pillow from behind her to place it in her lap. "And besides, you were supposed to be on my side, and then you go and support them? The _enemy?_ "

"Lucy, come on. You know I never wanted you to go on jobs since we found out you were pregnant. And anyway, I'm not on anyone's side. You're being stupid."

"Oh, so I'm stupid now? Let me guess, you just think I'm being melodramatic now too? Huh?"

He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his hand through his hair. _Stupid fucking goddamn hormones_. "That's not what I meant. I just mean you're blowing it out of proportion a little b-"

"No, Bickslow, I don't think I am. You don't understand. If my team _and_ _you_ aren't letting me go on jobs, then how the hell am I supposed to pay my rent? Huh?"

"What the hell are you talking about your rent for?" He said, raising an eyebrow as he stared back at his distraught and frankly, in that moment, terrifying wife.

"Um… because I have to pay my rent? Why else would I talk about it?"

Bickslow waited a few moments to see if she was actually serious or not, and when she just continued to glare at him, he couldn't help but start to chuckle. "Oh wow… you totally forgot…"

"Forgot what?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at her husband. Honestly, the guy was on thin ice and she was seriously beginning to wonder why she'd married the guy at all, let alone managed to put up with dating him and loving him for an entire year before that had happened.

"Once the guild knew about us, you were getting rid of your apartment and moving in with me until we move into a bigger place. I told you the rent was covered while you were here, and at the new place. Remember?" He said, still chuckling.

Lucy could only stare back for a few moments as she tried to wrap her head around it. And then, when she felt like something in her brain had unlocked and she could remember them actually having them conversation a month or so earlier, she went bright red, turning away slightly as she folded her arms across her chest. "Shut up…" She mumbled. _Stupid pregnancy brain. Damn it._

But when Bickslow didn't stop laughing, she remembered just why she was mad. He was a traitor. That's why she was mad. With another scowl in his direction, Lucy picked up the pillow and hit him square in the face with it, and with a grunt, he stopped laughing. "It's not funny, Bicks! And besides, that's not what this is about!"

"Then what _is_ this about?" He complained, sliding down the bed once again to lean on his elbows.

"It's about you not backing me up. You're supposed to be on my side! That means telling my dumbass team that I can go on jobs!"

Bickslow sighed, "The sides thing again? Really? I told you, I'm not on anyone's side, but if I really had to be on a side, it would be on the baby's side."

"That's my side!"

"No it's not."

"Um, hello?" She said, gesturing to her stomach, "My side."

"No, it's really not," He insisted. "Okay, listen. You've known from the start I didn't want you going on jobs but you couldn't get out of going unless you told your team, so I just had to live with it-"

"Bicks, I get it; you don't want me going on jobs, and that's my point. You're not on my side when you're supposed to be."

"Baby, let me finish, alright?" He said, and when she sighed, folding her arms once again, he continued, "I had to get over you going on jobs because we liked the whole secret thing, you know? But seriously, for once in their lives, your team aren't being complete dumbasses. They're actually being smart."

"No-"

" _Lucy_. My turn, remember? It's not just _you_ that you have to worry about – hell, _I_ have to worry about – anymore, because if you ever got hurt, the baby would too. We're just trying to protect you both, baby. It's not about me not being on your side and not backing you up, because really, I am."

"I… I…" She whispered, and within seconds, she was sobbing uncontrollably as she looked down at her lap. She knew she'd been too focused on the fact that she couldn't do what she usually could that she didn't really think about why they'd done what they did.

Half of the jobs her team took ended with her getting thrown around at some point and getting at least a little hurt, but the last couple of months, she'd tried her best to stay out of harm's way, because of the baby. So if anything, with the guild knowing, she just assumed she'd be able to go on like nothing had changed, and even though nothing really had, it wasn't the case. She suddenly had a lot more people looking out for her and she really was grateful for that.

Sure, the kid had been a surprise and completely unexpected – Lucy liked to refrain from using the word 'accident' – but it was a happy… accident. If she'd lost the baby from getting hurt on a job, she'd honestly be distraught, and she knew Bickslow would be too.

Basically, she'd just been too preoccupied with getting her team and Bickslow to see things her way that she totally overlooked what was really important, and that really was the baby.

 _Damn it_ , she cursed herself. _Why can't I think straight today?_

"I-I'm s-sorry, B-Bicks. I d-didn't think about t-the… b-baby." She sputtered, burying her face in his chest when he sat up and wrapped his arms around her, smoothing down her back.

"It's okay," He whispered, "I'm sure the kid forgives you."

Bickslow breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, she was crying but honestly, he was glad, because he knew that the entire job madness was over. Well, he hoped.

Only his crazy, hormonal, pregnant wife could go from one extreme to the next in the matter of seconds, but he still loved her.

For the most part.


End file.
